From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Sikhism in India
Sikhism in India
Indian Sikhs
Guru Tegh Bahadur · Guru Gobind Singh
Guru Granth Sahib
Philosophy
Nām Japō · Kirat Karō · Vaṇḍ Chakkō
Caṛdī Kalā · Guru Maneyo Granth
Practices
Sikh Rehat Maryada · Prohibitions
Ardās · Kirtan · Dasvand · Baptism
Five Evils · The Five Ks · Five Virtues
Langar · Simran
Scripture
Guru Granth Sahib · Adi Granth
Dasam Granth · Sarbloh Granth
Five Banis
General topics
History · Ik Onkar · Gurdwara
Manmohan Singh, Montek Singh Ahluwalia, Arjan Singh
Harmandir Sahib · Khalsa · Khanda
Jeev Milkha Singh, Kiran Bedi, Mandira Bedi
Literature · Music · Names · Places
Khushwant Singh, Rabbi Shergill, Harbhajan Singh
Nanakshahi calendar · Sikhs · Waheguru
Total population Dastar
19,215,730 (2001)[1] Sikhism Portal
1.9% of the Indian Population
Regions with significant populations Sikhism is India’s fourth-largest religion and has existed
for over 500 years, beginning with the birth of its founder
Chandigarh · Delhi · Haryana · Jammu & Kashmir · Madhya Guru Nanak Dev ji. The Sikhs are predominately located
Pradesh · Maharashtra · Punjab · Rajasthan · Uttar Pradesh ·
in Punjab, but also in many other parts of India.
Uttarakhand
Languages
The birth of the Sikh religion
Punjabi · Hindi · Indian English
About 2% of India’s population are Sikhs. Traditionally
the men keep their hair and do not shave their beard
Sikhism or moustache. They gather the hair on their head in a
turban. Sikhism is comparatively a new religion in India.
This religion was established by Guru Nanak Dev Ji.
Nanak ji was born into a Hindu family in 1469 in the
Punjab region. Since childhood he loved to travel, learn
and preach humanity. In those days people who taught
and preached were titled Guru meaning teacher, his fol-
lowers became to be known as Sikhs meaning learners.
This article is part of a series on Sikhism The creators of Sikhism tried to abolish some of the In-
Sikh Gurus dian customs such as the caste system and Sati (practice)
- burning of the widow. In Sikhism everyone has equal
Guru Nanak Dev · Guru Angad Dev
rights irrespective of caste, creed, color, race, sex or re-
Guru Amar Das · Guru Ram Das
ligion. Sikhism rejects pilgrimage, fasting, superstitions
Guru Arjan Dev · Guru Har Gobind
and other such rituals. Sikhism does not have a clergy
Guru Har Rai · Guru Har Krishan
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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Sikhism in India
class as it considers this as a gateway to corruption. How- include the Five Takhts, or thrones; and the Anandpur
ever, they have readers and singers in their temples. Sahib.
Prominent Sikhs in India Langar (the communal meal)
Sikhism emphasises community services and helping the
Though Sikhs are a small minority in India, the com- needy. One of the distinct features of Sikhism is the com-
munity occupies a significant place in the country. The mon kitchen called Langar. In every Gurdwara there is a
Prime Minister of India, Dr. Manmohan Singh[2] is a Sikh; Langar. Every Sikh is supposed to contribute in preparing
while a Sikh, Giani Zail Singh, has occupied the position the meals in the free kitchen. The meals are served to all
of President of India. Almost every council of ministers and are eaten sitting on the floor, as this is to emphasise
in India has had representation from among the Sikhs. the point that all who are there are equals. Sikhism does
Sikhs are also conspicuous in the Indian army, primarily not believe in holding fasts, for the body is God’s present
because they formed the sword arm of the British em- to the human being; and therefore humans must foster,
pire. The only living Indian officer with a 5 star rank Ar- maintain and preserve it in good, sound condition, unless
jan Singh is a Sikh. Sikhs have also led the Indian army fasting is done to foster the human body like healthy di-
JJ Singh and the Indian Air Force Air Chief Marshal Dil- ets.
bagh Singh, Chief of Air general in India. Sikhs are also
seen in Indian sports, with the only Indian gold medalist
in Olympics, Abhinav Bindra, being a Sikh. Similarly they
occupy important official positions, like Deputy Chair-
man of the Planning Commission, Montek Singh Ah-
luwalia;[3] governor Surjit Singh Barnala. Sikhs are also
known for entrepreneurial business in India. In the en-
tertainment industry, singer Daler Mehndi and Rabbi
Shergill are Sikhs. One reason for visibility of Sikhs in
the Indian spectrum is the disproportionate role played
by the Sikh community during the Indian freedom strug-
gle, with Bhagat Singh remaining a youth icon to Indian
youth. With migration of Sikhs abroad, Sikhs are no
longer uniquely identified with India. Gurdwara Sri Guru Sis Ganj Sahib
The Sikh Gurdwara Sahib The Guru Granth Sahib Ji
Guru Nanak Dev Ji who established Sikhism was its first
Guru. After him there he gave leadership to nine more
Gurus who were the highest religious authority. The last
Guru, Guru Gobind Singh, proclaimed that after him the
Guru of the Sikhs would be the only one to be bowed to.
Guru Granth Sahib ji is written in Gurmukhi script. It
includes the writings of the Sikh Gurus and the writin-
gs of Hindu and Muslims saints. But out of humility[cita-
tion needed] Guru Gobind Singh Ji did not include his own
writings in Guru Granth Sahib ji . His writings appear in
Dasam Granth. Guru Gobind Singh Ji is also the Guru be-
hind the unique appearance of Sikh men[citation needed].
Sikhs combat with the Mughals
Gurdwara Bangla Sahib
During Guru Gobind’s term as the Guru of the Sikhs and
also before him, the ruling empire of Punjab region was
A Sikh place of worship is called Gurdwara. Sikhism does
the Mughal Empire. The Mughals were Islamic. Some of
not support pilgrimage to holy sites because according to
the Mughul emperors, like Aurangazeb were fanatics
Sikhism, God is everywhere and not in any certain place.
who harassed the non-Muslims, mainly Hindus and tried
But Sikhism has a few important sites, of which, the Har-
to convert them to Islam. Sikh Guru Tegh Bahadur Sahib
minder Sahib, also known as the ’Golden Temple’ in Am-
saved Hindus from Muslims and was named as Hind Di
ritsar in Punjab is the most important site and is con-
Chadar. In order to stop their persecutions, Guru Gobind
sidered the holiest shrine of Sikhism. Additional shrines
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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Sikhism in India
Kanga, Kara and Kirpan—three of the five articles of faith en-
dowed to the Sikhs.
The emphasis on military tradition and community
service in Sikhism continues even today and many Sikhs
serve in the Indian army or police. The Sikhs also have
a reputation as experts in steering, from cars to air-
planes.[citation needed] They were among the first commu-
nities in India who dared to drive vehicles specially lor-
ries. India being a vast country needed drivers who could
also travel at nights. But many Indians believed in super-
stitions like ghosts and haunted places, while the Sikhs
rejected these kinds of beliefs and therefore traveled at
A Sikh man wearing a turban nights, since then their reputation as steering masters of
India.
decided to make his followers, the Sikhs (meaning learn-
ers), a community of fighters. He changed his surname to Punjabi Suba
Singh, which means lion. His followers also changed their
surname to Singh. Since then a ceremony of baptizing Main article: Punjabi Suba
was established among the Sikhs in which the boys were A proposed state in northwest India. It was proposed by
given the title Singh and the girls were titled Kaur mean- Shiromani Akali Dal in 1966.
ing princess. In those days "Singh" as a surname was very
popular among a famous warrior caste of north India, the Sikh population by each Indian
Rajputs. A large number of these warrior Sikhs were orig-
inally Rajput Hindus who voluntarily converted for bat- state
tling against the Mughals. Sikh population by each Indian state
Creating an identity for the Most populous
Sikhs See also
In order to make it easier for his followers to recognize
each other, Guru Gobind Singh, chose five marks, some • List of famous Sikhs
of which even today symbolize the Sikhs. The five signs • Sikhs in Bollywood
were, uncut hair Kesh; bracelet on the right hand wrist • Religion in India
Kara; comb Kanga shorts Kaccha and sword or dagger • Khalistan movement, a Sikh separatist movement for
Kirpan;. The religious Sikhs dress according to Guru Punjabi speaking areas of India, at its height in the
Gobind Singh’s order, carrying a sword (kirpan). Most of 1970s, 80s and 90s
the Sikhs even today have uncut hair and gather it in a • 1984 anti-Sikh riots, triggered by the assassination of
turban. But some easygoing Sikhs cut their hair or they Indira Gandhi by two of her Sikh bodyguards
do not gather their uncut hair in a turban.
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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Sikhism in India
# State Total Males Females
1 Andaman & Nicobar Islands 1,587 873 714
2 Andhra Pradesh 30,998 17,264 13,734
3 Arunachal Pradesh 1,865 1,475 390
4 Assam 22,519 13,508 9,011
5 Bihar 20,780 11,057 9,723
6 Chandigarh 145,175 76,000 69,175
7 Chhattisgarh 69,621 36,662 32,959
8 Dadra & Nagar Haveli 123 96 27
9 Daman & Diu 145 92 53
10 Delhi 555,602 288,675 266,927
11 Goa 970 590 380
12 Gujarat 45,587 24,987 20,600
13 Haryana 1,170,662 618,558 552,104
14 Himachal Pradesh 72,355 38,118 34,237
15 Jammu & Kashmir 207,154 114,524 92,630
16 Jharkhand 83,358 45,348 38,010
17 Karnataka 15,326 8,811 6,515
18 Kerala 2,762 1,611 1,151
19 Lakshadweep 6 6 0
20 Madhya Pradesh 150,772 80,122 70,650
21 Maharastra 215,337 117,736 97,601
22 Manipur 1,653 1,091 562
23 Meghalaya 3,110 1,810 1,300
24 Mizoram 326 251 75
25 Nagaland 1,152 774 378
26 Orissa 17,492 9,448 8,044
27 Pondicherry 108 70 38
28 Punjab 14,592,387 7,692,776 6,899,611
29 Rajasthan 818,420 432,534 385,886
30 Sikkim 1,176 1,061 115
31 Tamil Nadu 9,545 5,515 4,030
32 Tripura 1,182 1,074 108
33 Uttar Pradesh 678,059 361,320 316,739
34 Uttaranchal 212,025 111,723 100,302
35 West Bengal 66,391 36,738 29,653
References External links
[1] [1] • Live Sikh Kirtan Videos Live sikh broadcasting and
[2] Waldman, Amy, 2004,New York Times audio video sharing community
[3] Robinson, Simon, India’s Most Influential, Time • Sikh Photography Images of Indian Sikhs by
photographer Charles Meacham
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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Sikhism in India
# State Total Males Females
1 Punjab 14,592,387 7,692,776 6,899,611
2 Haryana 1,170,662 618,558 552,104
3 Rajasthan 818,420 432,534 385,886
4 Uttar Pradesh 678,059 361,320 316,739
5 Delhi 555,602 288,675 266,927
6 Maharastra 215,337 117,736 97,601
7 Uttaranchal 212,025 111,723 100,302
8 Jammu & Kashmir 207,154 114,524 92,630
9 Madhya Pradesh 150,772 80,122 70,650
10 Chandigarh 145,175 76,000 69,175
11 Jharkhand 83,358 45,348 38,010
12 Himachal Pradesh 72,355 38,118 34,237
13 Chhattisgarh 69,621 36,662 32,959
14 West Bengal 66,391 36,738 29,653
15 Gujarat 45,587 24,987 20,600
• Sikhism in India
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